When it comes to the best way to learn how to heat a tent with electricity, there are a lot of options to stay warm on cold nights. It’s amazing how the cold weather and cold air can just cut through the tent on your camping trip! The good news is that even though there are cold temperatures happening, there is still an effective way or two (or more!) to get a comfortable sleep during the winter season.
The following tips are effective methods on how to store heat and getting enough heat to stay warm through the night. As you’re reading through these methods, be sure that you remember to be safe as well. Not all of these will be the best option for your scenario. That’s why it’s important to think about different ways to stay warm.
Choose the best method that works for you and your camping needs. I’ve listed many different methods and tips, so there are options here that can work.
1. Buy a Portable Gas Heater
2. Keep Your Tent Well Insulated
3. Hot Water Bottles
4. Set Up Your Tent in a Good Spot
5. Heat Some Stones
6. Dress for The Occasion
7. Invest in a Good Quality Sleeping Bag
8. Buy The Right Tent
Insulate The Tent
To insulate the tent, you need to have the ground covered and block out the cold ground and air that is rising from the ground. You will also want to add in other measures as well. Since cold air sinks towards the ground, it’s super important to have layers between the cold hard ground and you.
One easy solution is to put a tarp on the ground to block the cold air. Then, you may also want to have a tarp over the top of the tent, too. This can help provide protection from all angles and sides and keep your tent warm in the process.
Buy a Portable Heater
A portable gas heater can be a great way to add warm air to your tent. However, you do have to be very careful with gas heaters. While you’re running the heater, you will need to have an opening or way for the hot air to escape and to also disperse any fumes. A gas heater can heat a small space fast and make the whole tent warm and cozy. However, you do want to be safe before buying this.
There is always a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning if there is a leak or fumes trapped. So this is a real concern to consider. A propane heater can also become a fire hazard if it’s tipped over or left unattended.
If you’re going to use a gas heater, be sure to read all the reviews and follow the directions on the correct way to use it. It’s also important to note that this isn’t something that you would have running in the tent while you’re sleeping at night for safety purposes as well.
There are four different types of heaters that you can use below to help to create a hot tent. Make sure to follow all safety precautions so that you’re not putting yourself in harm’s way.
Radiant Heater
The great thing about using radiant heat is that it’s quiet. It also does a good job of pushing the heat out to you and where you are. You may have to search pretty hard to find one that runs on battery power as most use electricity.
Catalytic Heater
Using a catalytic heater is one that doesn’t actually use real fire but instead uses chemical reactions to create heat.
Electric Heater
Most electric heaters need electricity to run. However, you may be able to find options that bypass that and can still get you the warmth that you’re looking for.
Candle Heater
Since this type of heat literally runs on candles, it’s important that you understand that you have to pay close attention and not leave it unattended. It does provide a heat source, though as do the above methods.
Use Hot Water Bottle
Hot water bottles are an excellent idea to put into the bottom of your sleeping bag. They can produce a lot of heat in a small space and be the perfect foot warmers, too. If you can put the hot water bottle into your sleeping bag right before you get in, this simple action will help you get a good night’s sleep easily. They may not put out a HUGE amount of heat, but if each person has their own water bottles in their sleeping bags, it’s a great resource for everyone to use on their own.
Heat Some Stones or Rocks
Hot stones create an ambient temperature that is great for hand warmers, cooking over a camp stove and more. Forget about propane stones when you can use heated stones or coals instead! If the stones get hot enough, you can use them in the fire pit to help cook or even boil water for coffee or tea. (that will take a lot of heat and some really large rocks, but who knows what is possible!)
Heating rocks is a simple process, but you will need a heat source or open fire to do that. You’ll also need to think about how you’re going to have the hot stones or rocks in the tent so that they’re not burning through anything that they’re touching. You can store them in a larger clay pot or anything else that can withstand a big amount of heat.
Wind Barriers
Tent placement is key! You have to think about heat loss in the area where you’re setting up your tent. First and foremost, you need to try to put your tent in a place that helps to block some of the wind or extreme temperatures.
Areas, where you can have tree blockage or cliff or rock blockage from wind, can be great options. Also, having an area where you can set up a campfire and use the hot coals for ambient heat is great as well.
It’s also just as important to think about your safety when you’re sitting up wind barriers. While having tree coverage or cliff coverage may be nice, trees and wind don’t get along very well. If you think that high winds are coming, avoiding areas with trees right overhead will be important. The last thing that you want to have to worry about is tree limbs breaking and crashing down on your tent.
Block Cold With Bush and Leaves
But what happens when you think all your intricate work planning was enough, but you forget a few things? You have to be able to pivot and find ways to work with Mother Nature. IF you don’t have a way to block the cold, use what you can find to create some sort of barrier. Putting your tent behind a large bush can help with stopping some of the wind.
You can also gather up as many leaves as possible and use that as a barrier to put on the floor. Just be sure that there aren’t any sticks or sharp options that are going to poke a hole into the floor of your tent.
Build a Snow Wall
Channel your inner child and build a snow wall to block out some of the wind! If you need a way to block the wind, pack together some snow and build it as high as you can. You’ll then want to put your tent close to the snow wall. This will ensure that the wind goes over the top of the wall, and you can snuggle down in your tent safely behind it.
Preparing for Winter Camping
The great thing about winter camping is that there are things that you can do to prep and prepare. It may seem like you’re never done and fully prepared to camping in the cold. However, once you follow the simple tips and get some of the items listed here, you’re way more ready than you realize!
Dressing for the Occasion
Dressing smartly for the weather is key. Having a great pair of long underwear is a must. Warm clothes should be at the top of your list and the first thing that you start packing. Warm clothes and a warm tent are going to be two of your most vital ways to stay warm.
Make sure that you have thick and fluffy socks and insulated shoes. Waterproof shoes are also a must because there is a chance of rain, snow, and ice while camping during winter nights. If any of your clothes or shoes get wet during your camping trip, they should be removed to start the drying process. Always pack extra socks and clothing so that you can react quickly to keep your body warm.
It’s also just as important to note that you need to change out of your clothes at the end of the day and put on fresh clothes. Your body will naturally be sweating throughout the day, and when it gets cold at night, that sweat will become even colder on your body and make your clothes feel chilly, too. Putting on clean clothes is a simple process that can make a huge difference in your body’s warmth and how warm you feel.
Lastly, don’t forget that heat rises, and this is also on the human body! Put a stocking cap on your head to keep the heat at bay! Even wear it while you’re sleeping!
Invest in a good quality sleeping bag
The last thing that you need to skimp on is a cheap sleeping bag. Splurge and buy one that has a sleeping bag liner as this is needed for cold weather camping. You can also get sleeping bags that are rated for cold weather and built specifically for camping in the cold.
If you can get an insulated sleeping pack, it will help to trap your body heat and regulate your body temperature.
Buy the right tent
You need to have a winter tent! This is the easiest way to heat your tent when you don’t have a power source. Having a tent with an insulated tent wall will keep you warmer when you’re camping in an open field!
Frequently Asked Questions
Don’t worry. You’re not the only one who has questions about cold weather camping. Here are a few common questions that get asked before people take a camping trip in the cold.
There are many safe ways to heat a tent. The above options mention some great ones. The most important thing to remember when camping and staying safe is that you need to be aware of what is happening at all times. Since you’re looking for alternative methods to heat a tent, this means that you’ll have to be very aware of hot surfaces, open flames, gas fumes, and more.
Use what you have around you and pack to be prepared! Insulated clothing, lined sleeping bags, hot stones, rocks, hot water bottles, and non-electric heaters can all be the perfect way to get your tent hot.
Getting warm when there is no electricity can be difficult to accomplish, but there are ways to get it done. First and foremost, get a good frame of mind and understand that when you’re camping in the cold, you’re going to be cold. There’s no real way around it.
However, it’s also just as important to note that just because you’re going to be cold doesn’t mean that you have to be freezing. Those are two very different things and should be treated as such.
It really won’t be a problem to heat up the tent with all the options listed above, but the bigger issue at hand that you need to prepare for is how you’ll keep your tent warm. Heat rises and will escape out of the tent quickly, so having a plan in place is key.
This is why it’s extremely important to have multiple options on how you’re going to stay warm. Never put all your ideas into one method because if that method doesn’t work or something happens during that process, you’re going to find yourself cold and scrambling.
If you don’t have a heater, the easiest way to get heat into your tent is to heat it with rocks and stones and hot water bottles. These are small heat methods but are effective ones. Just remember that anytime you’re putting anything hot into your tent, you need to have a surface that can withstand the heat.
The tent floor won’t work. It will melt and cause a fire hazard. If you have a skillet, that will work. If you have a clay pot, that will work as well.
Be very careful when you’re trying to make your own heat source, as this can be flammable and cause issues. One way that you can create a heat source is to have a metal plate, a terra cotta plant with a water drainage hole in the bottom, and some tea-light candles.
Put the metal plate on a heat-safe surface and put the tea candles on top of that. Turn the terra cotta planter upside down and place it over the top of the candles. (light the candles before putting the planter on top.)
The candles will heat up the planter and also release some of that heat out of the hole at the bottom of the planter as well. It won’t be a ton of heat, but it will be a heat source that can be a great hand warmer when you’re in need.
As you can see, there are ways that you can heat up a tent without access to electricity. Some methods require a bit more work from you, while others are fast and simple. If you find yourself in a situation where you need to get heat to your tent, the above methods and tips can really help. Just be sure that you stay calm, stay alert, and don’t leave heaters, flames, or fires unattended.
Not sure where to camp next? Check out Pismo Beach!
